I fangirled hard over getting this arc since I really loved Linda Holmes’ writing in evvie drake. I’ve loved similar romcoms I’ve read that have shown the behind the scenes on audio production (rachel lynn solomon’s the ex talk, julia whelan’s thank you for listening) and this one did not disappoint! Back after this felt extremely close to the author’s own work with NPR and it was lovely to catch a glimpse of how passionate she is about it through Cecily.

The two main characters were charming, the banter was fun, and this was such a good read. The oooonly thing I wish was fleshed out a bit more were the 20 dates for the show—which obviously I can understand why they were quickly run through. Maybe if there were less bachelors and Cecily was able to stumble through the dates a bit more that would’ve been interesting to read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine Books, and Linda Holmes for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

I completely devoured Back After This and cannot wait for it to come out so I can gush over it with my friends. Linda Holmes's writing is lovely with grounded, real human characters, delicious banter, and of course, an incredible giant rescue dog that kick starts a meet-cute. This book feels like an ode to those of us who may be extremely Type A people pleasers, while also giving us a good dose of reality, while also being just a wonderful romance.

Back After This centers on Cecily, a hard working podcast producer at a fictional firm that is struggling amidst the changing winds of advertising. Her less than great boss, Toby, finally brings Cecily in to host her own show. However, the show centers on Cecily learning on how to find a partner and being taught by influencer extraordinaire, Eliza Cassidy, In service of this show, Cecily agrees, but not before meeting Will via the aforementioned giant rescue dog. Cecily goes on 20 first dates, but can't stop thinking about Will, much to Eliza (and Toby's) consternation. Along the way we meet Cecily's incredible friends and family (and also an incredibly unfortunate ex, Justin, who is also a podcaster and is the type of guy to tattoo the waveform of his voice saying "Hi this is Justin Dash" on his arm - a detail that I truly appreciated).

This book is just an absolute delight cover to cover. I identified so much with Cecily and her relentless pursuit of forward progress and trying to figure out what all of the "right moves" were. I too have aspirational apples as snacks that are squirreled away and have trouble figuring out what I actually want versus what I should do. Cecily is acerbic in the best of ways and both her inner and outer commentary had me nodding along while I was reading. Holmes puts in so many small details that really make the book - like Eliza not being good at making coffee, but seemingly good at everything else.

Speaking of Eliza, she really could have been written like an absolute cow, but the humanizing details between her conversations with Cecily and also having Emmy, her sister, give background made her feel so much more real. Many of the side characters, like Molly, Cecily's sister, have these good, inner lives and stories that help ground everyone. And of course, I just adored Will as a character.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who needs a romance that will make you swoon and think. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the advanced copy.

After loving “Evvie Drake Starts Over,” I was really excited to read this new novel from Linda Holmes. It did not disappoint. The characters are cute and fun, with lots of little quirks worked in.

My Rating: 3.5⭐️
Tropes: friends to lovers, bachelorette type dating show, podcasting
This book started out slow and was a little hard to get into, but overall, I enjoyed the book. Basically, Cecily is an overworked producer at an audio studio and is told she would get the opportunity to produce her own show if she does a dating/self help show to improve ratings. This involves going on twenty blind dates, one of which is supposed to become her boyfriend. Cecily ends up doing it, but she keeps serendipitously running into someone over and over again who was NOT apart of the show, who she has been told not to become involved with. He has none of the qualities she is being told to look for, yet she can’t help but feel this connection to him. Obviously, she gets into trouble with her coach by disregarding the warnings to stay away.

I really liked Will, Julia, Abby, and Connor. I didn’t like anyone else, and I was kinda frustrated with Cecily. I really wish she would have showed a little more backbone towards all the people who wronged her. There were multiple characters that hurt her terribly and even by the end, I didn’t feel like she really stood up for herself. Her ex, her boss, Eliza Cassidy all seemed to never get what they deserved after what they did to Cecily (in my opinion). Also, the podcast aspect was interesting, and it was clear that the author knew a lot about that field. It did take over at times, but she did get back on track eventually.
The author has a unique voice that is distinctly hers, and some of her writing is really beautiful. That being said, I liked this one a lot better than her previous works.
I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Linda Holmes and Random House Publishing for this opportunity!

I let out a little squeal when I saw that Linda Holmes has written a third book and a bigger squeal when my request to read the ARC was approved. I am a regular listener of Pop Culture Happy Hour and have loved her previous two. Her writing is so smart, and the banter is always great and I feel like her characters are so real and experience actual growth, it’s always fun to read her books.

Back After This, due out in February of 2025, is about a podcast producer named Cecily who is working in a struggling industry and dreams of having more creative control. She is approached to create a new podcast where she is coached by a popular influencer around her dating life, and she will be set up on 20 dates over the course of the episodes in an attempt to find the perfect guy for her.

We don’t have to suffer through all the dates, she mostly summarizes them, and instead we focus on Cecily who is really understanding what she wants from life. The characters here are so layered and interesting and the book is overall very funny. I read this in two days and am thinking about reading it again, if I’m honest. It’s definitely my favorite of her books and I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you loved Evvie Drake ,you need to read Back After This! Cecily was a fun, relatable character who anyone would love to be friends with and Will was the perfect partner for her. Linda Holmes has quickly become an author that is an auto-buy!

This was my first book from this author. I LOVED all the parts with Cecily and Will. Could not get enough of them.. and Buddy too. I found myself skimming a lot of the other parts though. Overall it was a solid read and I would read more from her.

I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over - and am an avid listener of PCHH - so I was super excited to get this ARC. I simply could not put this one down! It had everything I could ever want: witty banter, adorable leads, a very good dog, and a heartfelt story. No one does it quite like Linda Holmes!

Cecily, a podcast producer, is given the opportunity to step into the spotlight to become a host of a new self-help podcast where she gets set up by a life coach on 20 blind dates. While she’s not thrilled to have her love life out in the open, she takes it on to help save her friend’s job and to finally get time to work on and publish her own passion project. She is committed to going on the dates and taking the challenge seriously. However, after a few serendipitous run-ins with Will, a photographer and dog rescuer extraordinaire, things become a lot more complicated.

I had so much fun with this book! I definitely laughed out loud at multiple points in the book. I really adored Cecily and Will - their characters were so realistic and their chemistry was off the charts. I couldn’t help but root for Cecily - she had so much growth in finding her voice, who she is, and what she wanted. I also loved the backdrop of the podcast and the behind-the-scenes of how it got created. It was very clever and well integrated into the story. This is probably my favorite book by Linda Holmes, to date, and cannot wait until she has a new one for me to devour!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC!

🔎 ARC Review

Back After This

@lindaholmes97
@randomhouse
@netgalley

Publication Date: February 25th, 2025

My Rating:
🌟 4/5

👀Read if you like
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Cute Dog 🐕
Podcasts

Longtime podcast producer Cecily Foster has always operated behind the scenes. For years, she’s worked toward hosting her own show, putting everything, including her love life, on the backburner. So when her boss finally offers her the chance, she’s over the moon.

But there’s a catch. Actually, two

1) The show will be about Cecily’s dating life 
2) Cecily will be mentored by renowned dating coach/life coach/influencer Eliza Cassidy.

Cecily would rather do anything else than put her singledom on display, especially since the last time she mixed work with romance the outcome was catastrophic. But when Cecily’s boss tells her that doing the show is the only way to protect her mentee's job, she realizes she has no other choice.

To make matters even more complicated, Cecily finds herself unable to stop thinking about Will, a photographer she serendipitously met while chasing a runaway dog down a busy street. Even though there are sparks between the two, Eliza forbids Cecily from dating Will, whom she believes is no better than Cecily's disappointing exes.

As Cecily struggles to balance her real romantic life and the one Eliza wants to create for her, she finds herself at a crossroads. Will she fall back into old patterns, or is this her chance to finally find love that lasts?

🔎 My review
This is my first book by Linda and it was so good!! I loved seeing Cecily go out of her comfort zone for her friend and herself! Watching her grow and build a relationship with Will is the best and who couldn't love Buddy?? Definitely gives off meant to romance and 100% recommend

Thank you @lindaholmes97, @randomhouse, @netgalley for the ARC!

#books #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookstagram #bookobsessed #romance #lindaholmes #ballantinebooks #randomhouse #NetGalley #BackAfterThis

There is a warmth to her novels that make them a safe, delightful joy to dive into.

As for this book? The main characters make you want to hug her and make heart eyes at him.

I’m charmed, you’re charmed, everyone is charmed and tickled and swooning because that smile on our faces each time their chemistry crackles cannot be stopped.

The relatable nonsense of work dynamics and the pressure to succeed (depending on who is giving the definition) and tying it all to sponsorships and the influencer world helps shake us back into healthier perspectives.

The friendship and support of loved ones, the figuring out what you want and actually learning how to say so, the kindness in places it’s needed…the love story would be enough alone, but everything else embedded in and around it make this yet another special book I can’t wait to recommend to everyone who’ll listen.

To say that I like Linda Holmes and her foray into romance novels is just a massive understatement, and this one is GREAT. I like the podcast company background, I like the gimmick, I like that all of the characters are written with empathy, I like the dog. I like Cecily and Will. There is something just very reassuring about reading a novel where you know the people being written are actual people and will be written from a perspective of kindness.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

Holmes' books always feel like a warm hug. I really appreciate that her FMC here -- in all her books -- is really trying to find herself, not necessarily love. I like that Cecily is capable and competent, has friends and family, but realizes she's spending her own life on the surface level. And yet I didn't feel like I, the reader, was serving as Cecily's therapist. The conversational, matter-of-fact tone helps, I think.

Anyone who has listened to Pop Culture Happy Hour knows that Holmes has a deep appreciation for romcoms and sitcoms and stories that leave you feeling good, feeling satisfied. Her work is an homage to the stories she loves.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

I really wanted to like this book. But I just couldn’t fall in love with it.

Cecily works at a podcast studio. She does more work than what her job description says, most of the time she’s doing other peoples work too. She gets roped into being the focus of a dating podcast because her company is on the verge of going under. At the same time, she meets someone. Organically. Out on the sidewalk she meets someone. And then she runs into him again. And again. And again. But she’s suppose to be all in on this dating podcast so they never really label their situation (he does know about the podcast). And of course, the drama follows. Eliza, the woman who is “coaching” Cecily on the dating podcast. She is very vocal that she cannot date this guy she met on her own. (Because of course that would mean that her work didn’t… work). And Toby, Cecily’s boss, is very adamant that this podcast really take off and bring it a lot of listeners.

The whole book seemed kind of repetitive. The characters were very surface level to me. I didn’t know much depth to either Cecily or Will (the guy she met). And the intimacy seemed a little out of the blue. I mean I know they were attracted to each other but when they had sex for the first time it felt like it just got thrown in because that’s what was was suppose to happy next. To me it didn’t feel like “*snap* all of the tension, FINALLY”.

Cecily lets a lot of people walk all over her. Her ex, Justin, who is mentioned frequently. Her boss. Eliza. And she doesn’t stand up for herself until the last chapter? Like what the hell.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I loved this book! It started a bit slow, but I think it was necessary to basically lay out all the details and give you enough back story to be invested in what happens. Once I got through all of that, I devoured this book. I love the growth as a person that Cecily goes through and all of the things she learns about herself and what she wants in life. I loved hearing about all 20 of the blind dates that she had to go on. Most of all, I loved Buddy and I adored Will. I learned so much about all of the background things that go into making a podcast, and learning literally anything in a book as part of the story makes me happy. This was a great rom com and I'm glad I had the privilege of being offered an advanced copy.

4.5/5

Cecily is a podcast producer who is in a rut in her life. She's unhappy with her job and her lack of love life. News of her ex spurs her to make a change. She randomly meets Will, who is charming, a photographer, a waiter, and a dog lover, again and again. Will balances out Cecily in many ways and is there for Cecily as she embarks on her public journey to find love. This book is about living for yourself, being bold and claiming what you want, coincidences but also not coincidental run-ins that could be signs of change. Linda Holmes writes beautifully with a lot of humor and great banter. It was easy to root for Cecily as she begins to realize what's right in front of her, starts to fight for herself and what she deserves, and trusts her instincts. Shout-out to the mascot of the book - Buddy the dog, a character in and of himself.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved Evvie Drake and I may have loved this more. Linda Holmes has a real talent for heroines who are starting over in their careers or their romantic lives. She writes banter expertly - it's fun and never cloying. Back After This was just a delight all the way through.

I love Linda Holmes! Was eagerly awaiting this one and am happy to say it was just as good as I hoped it would be. When I was approved to read the arc, it skipped right up to the top of my queue. Holmes both excels at writing characters you love to root for and really nails the despicable ex that makes you furious in its relatability. I hope this book finds its way to new readers, and that those new readers also visit Holmes' exquisite back list. (Loved the callback to Halls of Power.)

This is a love letter to podcast producers and all the unseen work they do. I am a huge fan of Holmes as a critic and an author, but this one wasn’t quite as much of a slam dunk for me as her previous books. I felt the main character was harder to connect to; I can’t remember if her age was ever mentioned, but if it was it wasn’t referenced enough for context. This character as someone in their 30s vs 40s would read very differently to me.

Some swoony moments and banter as always. Worth a read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is the third book I've read by Holmes, and it has cemented her as a must-read for me!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a longtime fan of Linda Holmes from Pop Culture Happy Hour and have really enjoyed her past books, so I was predisposed to enjoy this, and I certainly did - I think it is her best yet. Cecily is a great character, funny and warm but also believably flawed - Holmes does a great job with this. Her love interest is also adorable, and I loved all of the non-romantic relationships in the book as well. Overall I cannot recommend this more highly!